‘To Hold a Mountain’ Review: A Mother Tries to Preserve a Simple World for Her Daughter in a Sweet Portrait of Pastoral Life in Montenegro

It’s not every day that a film can truly claim to show you something that you’ve never seen before, but it feels safe to assume that the majority of people who watch “To Hold a Mountain” have never thought about the Sinjajevina mountain in Montenegro, much less seen it with their own eyes. The alpine pastureland is home to herds of goats and cows and small families of shepherds who have worked the land for lifetimes. The skyline is filled with rocky plateaus, tranquil meadows, and four seasons of climate that range from blissful springs to harsh winters.

It feels like a land that time forgot, and Gara would like to keep it that way. The aging shepherd enjoys a simple, dignified life, making cheese and watching the seasons change, while passing on any wisdom she can to her teenage daughter, Nada. The relationship between these two women forms the foundation of “To Hold a Mountain,” Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić’s new film that won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The film begins as a portrait of untapped nature before turning into a depressing reminder of how quickly and aggressively the modern world comes for the corners of this planet that have so far resisted destruction.

Gara learns that NATO plans to build a military training ground on Sinjajevina, which would permanently disrupt the ecosystem and the subsistence economy surrounding it. Scarred by past experiences of loss and determined to ensure that future generations enjoy the same access to the land that she did, she gradually begins organizing her fellow shepherds in a resistance against the base. The film becomes a call for preservation, following Gara as she fights to keep her unique little place in the world out of the hands of a military organization that could set up shop anywhere else. Her admirable conservation efforts dovetail with Nada’s coming-of-age, as the young girl understandably begins to dream of bigger things even as her mother does everything in her power to keep their world charmingly small.

The intersection of generations is a key theme in the film, and the relationship between Gara and Nada is refreshingly nuanced. Gara doesn’t resent her daughter’s inevitable urge to spread her wings, merely hoping that she’ll eventually want to visit the land again (and that the land will be there for her to visit when she does). Nada is a girl of few words, but she clearly returns the respect as they share an unspoken intimacy that comes from living with little more than each other for over a decade.

That intimacy is one of the strongest parts of “To Hold a Mountain,” as Tutorov and Glomazić capture quiet moments that seem almost voyeuristic (despite being completely wholesome) because of how naturalistic they are. Each shot is composed with intention and elegance, and editor George Cragg demonstrates a keen understanding of which moments merit long, unbroken takes and when cuts are necessary. It’s a pleasure to watch the scenery change with the seasons, and images like a snow-covered cabin or a dead cow slowly being consumed by flies contain more than enough symbolism to fill the silence.

There’s something ironic about docking a film devoted to the preservation of subsistence herding for its lack of ambition, but the noble goals of “To Hold A Mountain” don’t provide much in the way of narrative or philosophical heft. It’s somewhat satisfying as both a travel documentary about a place few of us are likely to ever visit and a well-intentioned reminder that not everything needs to be modernized, but it doesn’t do much to transcend the sum of its parts. But it portrays Sinjajevina exactly as Gara likely wants it to be seen — ensuring that her dream of passing these lands on to future generations will partially come true no matter what the military does next.

Grade: C+

“To Hold a Mountain” premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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